SoniYoga
in Western Culture
Rachel
Keller
Laura
Douglass
Yoga:
Theory Culture & Practice
Midterm
Paper
27
February, 2013
SoniYoga
is a small yoga studio located in Cambridge, MA. The owner, Soni, created the
studio in 2007 to help reflect her own Ayurveda and Vastu practices; and her
belief of living in harmony with nature. The history of SoniYoga relies equally
on Soni’s husband, David, as it does on Soni herself. David travelled when he
was younger and while working with the Peace Corps he met and married Soni in
Fiji (“SoniYoga”, n.d). In 2000 David first experienced yoga and it became a
dominant force in his life. After this point David became a corporate business
man who incorporates the principles of yoga with technology management
(“SoniYoga”, n.d).
Ayurveda,
one of the aspects of Soni’s lifestyles, “originated in India more than 5,000
years ago and is the oldest continuously practiced health-care system in the
world. Ayurveda is the science of nature, largely preventative medicine,
enhancing self-awareness to help us make choices that support well-being. The
system encourages us to catch imbalance before it begins to create disease”
(“What is Ayurveda”, 2013). This practice is taught at SoniYoga through
individual consultations with an Ayurvedic counselor and then adapting to a
personalized Ayurvedic lifestyle.
Vastu,
the second aspect of Soni’s lifestyle is “the ancient science of design and
architecture, originated during the Vedic Civilization…Vastu [is] arguably the
world’s oldest holistic design system…shows us how to create interior spaces so
that they honor the rhythms that control the universe and establish harmony
with ourselves and nature” (“Vastuliving”, n.d). This lifestyle is influenced
in SoniYoga with the color scheme chosen for the studio. The studio is painted
soft, warm, natural colors and the studio is dimly lit with a red hue. There
are multiple plants and small fountains, and the open space given for classes
is wood and surrounded by natural light.
The
studio’s mission statement claims, “SoniYoga is your home. We are dedicated to
you; to help you strengthen, heal, grow, and to learn more about the essential
you. We provide a joyful practice of yoga designed for all shapes, sizes and
fitness levels. Rather then following a regimented series of postures, our
practices will flow like water laughing down the stream bed from one pose to
another. We will focus on breath and proper alignment to increase body
awareness, flexibility, strength, and coordination; and try to challenge you in
each yoga class to go a little further, to try something new, to learn something
new about yourself. It’s not about the poses, it’s about you!” (“SoniYoga”,
n.d).
SoniYoga
offers classes that are mostly based on Hatha Yoga. They offer classes which
are private or in small groups, and are geared for a variety of experiences and
abilities. The types of classes offered include: Hatha Yoga (Hatha basics,
Hatha-all levels, Hatha Flow, and Yoga Stretch), Healing Yoga (focused on the
treatment of people with chronic pain), Kundalini (incorporates breathing, yoga
postures, mantras, mundras and meditation to stimulate specific areas of the
body’s energy, hormonal, circulatory or physical systems), Restorative Yoga
(uses props to support postures, relaxes and reinvigorates the body and mind), and
Yin & Yang Yoga (Preparing for deep meditation, and then focus on movement
and breath to keep the mind still).
One
of the Restorative Yoga classes, “Gentle Yoga”, is described as “For those
needing relief from stress or pain, come to relax, breathe and take a gentle
approach to postures. We will practice yoga asana mostly on the floor to
stretch and strengthen muscles in a safe manner. We will also do meditation,
relaxation and Pranayama (yoga breathing)” (“SoniYoga”, n.d.). After attending
this class I noticed that culture influenced the practice greatly.
The
11:30am Saturday class catered to people who were enjoying the end of their
workweek and looking for a relief from the stresses of life. The class
consisted of all white upper class women, ranging from early 20’s to mid 60’s
in age, and the class offered multiple props to help support these women in
their poses. The support props included blankets, soft blocks, and rolling
pillows. During the practice there was soft music playing in the background and
most of the women came prepared wearing tight clothing and had high-end yoga
mats. From a cultural perspective, it is not surprising that this was the
environment that the studio supported. In the description of the class it was
stated that Pranayama would be included in the practice. It is believed in
hatha yoga that if you can control the prana, the mind is automatically
controlled (Personal Notes, 2013). The Gentle Yoga class helped with
flexibility and stress relief, but the women who attended the class seemed
mostly concerned with their ability to achieve their poses physically and less
on being able to regulate their breathing or keep a still mind.
From my
observations, it appears that Americans use the “healing” aspects of the yoga
practices as a selling point to gain attention, but also appear to focus on the
physical portion of the practice to keep clients there; telling them that they
will “better themselves” physically by doing yoga . The teacher, Molly, would narrate
through the practice, saying things like, “use the breath as an ocean that
washes through and relaxes the body,” but Molly herself was wearing tight
clothing and did not participate in all of the poses or breathing exercises.
To
conclude her class, molly had all of the participants put their hands together
at their hearts and say “Namaste”, which I learned has multiple meanings.
During a brief interview with Molly, she stated that, “Namaste is recognizing
the light in oneself and in others. It is also a way of greeting someone
depending on the translation you use” (Personal Interview, 2013). This
translation of Namaste being the recognition of the light in oneself relates to
Krishnamurti, who speaks of this “light” as well. Krishnamurti claims that,
“One must be free to be completely a light to oneself…this light cannot be
given by another, nor can you light it at the candle of another. If you light
it at the candle of another, it is just a candle, it can be blown out”
(Krishnamurti, 111). This could be applied to using the term “Namaste” in the sense
that during yoga practice we are aiming to become a light in oneself, but
Krishnamurti would most likely disagree with the fact that we are using this translation of Namaste to conclude
a group yoga session and to recognize other people’s lights as well.
Krishnamurti is focused on meditation and in order to achieve being a light in
oneself, you must go through vigorous steps to free yourself from things like
authority, and you must be able to observe the “now”. The concept of having an increased awareness of
oneself appeared to be valid for the class, but Molly did not explain the
meaning of Namaste to the group, so they just repeated it and left. This is
cultural because yoga in America is not concerned with understanding the
individual meaning of the words that are shared in class but more so on how
they make participants feel while hearing them. The closing remark of “Namaste”
appeared to be comforting and therefore there was no concern for understanding
anything greater about it.
The
concept of using Namaste as a symbolic bridge of Western Hatha Yoga practice
and Eastern Hatha Yoga practice is especially evident in a woman named Kate
Potter, who created “Namaste Yoga”. Potter is a Buddhist who has been a yoga
teacher for 18 years and created a DVD collection of her practices that is
aired in the United States as well as in Canada. Namaste Yoga is an example of
how Western culture has commercialized yoga and created practices that are
based on Eastern yoga beliefs, but are sold to the people almost as a form of
therapy that is supposed to “better” oneself. Namaste Yoga’s site states,
“Namaste Yoga offers a complete yoga practice for people who want to become
fitter, live healthier, and be happier. With Namaste Yoga, you can experience
what yoga at home should feel like: stunning visuals, soothing music, and
entirely original movement sequences that will claim the mind, strengthen the
body, and inspire the soul” (“Namaste”, 2013). This demonstrates that the value
of the yoga practice in these DVDs is not about finding the light in oneself
through meditation or being able to still the mind through movement, but
instead is about “you!” and how it can make “you!” feel better about yourself.
One
of the most obvious cultural influences noticeable in the demonstration video
of Potter’s Namaste Yoga practice is how all three participants are young,
white women who are all wearing almost no clothes and are incredibly fit. They
use yoga mats wherever they are located, and are shown going through different
poses with ease and showing no tension or struggling. This concept conflicts
with what is practiced in Eastern Cultures because in those cultures it is not
about how you look while practicing, or how comfortable you are in the pose, it
is about unifying yourself with your mind, spirit and body. Even using the
title of “Namaste” for the DVD collection is an example of commercialism of
yoga ideas and practices because it takes a term that is supposed to be
meaningful and a way of recognizing the light in oneself, and instead turns it
into a selling point. When watching the DVDs it is obvious that Potter has a
target audience of young white females who are looking for ways to boost their
self esteem and achieve something physically.
Potter’s
DVDs connect to SoniYoga because they both used the term “Namaste” in a vague
way. Instead of explaining the core meaning of Namaste and why it should be our
goal during practice to achieve the light it speaks of, they use it as a way of
convincing the participants that they have an authentic practice. Although
SoniYoga is based on Soni’s past experiences with hatha yoga, the studio is not
exempt from commercialization.
Overall,
SoniYoga offers a glimpse of what yoga practice is like in a Western Culture.
Although Soni’s roots are Eastern, the studio that she created does not
completely reflect her own beliefs. Through the gentle yoga class I was able to
observe the population that the studio caters to, and relate my observations to
the theory, culture, and practice of yoga. The use of “Namaste” was a cultural
symbol that was intended to bridge both the Eastern and Western perspectives of
yoga, but ultimately appeared to be more of a selling point than a true
representation of the Eastern beliefs. In the future I would like to attend
more classes at SoniYoga and continue my observations, in hope of seeing more
of an authentic practice and less of the commercialized concern with body image
and how yoga can “better” you.
References
Ayurveda - Ayurveda Boston. (n.d.). Ayurveda
Boston. http://www.ayurvedaboston.com/ayurveda
Krishnamurti, J. (1999). Light in
Oneself. This light in oneself: true meditation (p. 111). Boston:
Shambhala.
Namaste Yoga | About Namaste Yoga.
(n.d.). Namaste Yoga | Namaste Hatha Yoga Practice by Kate Potter, DVDs,
Videos, Learning Materials. http://www.namaste.tv/pages/about-namaste
SoniYoga. (n.d.). SoniYoga.
http://www.soniyoga.com/cm/Home.html
Welcome to Vastu Living - About Vastu. (n.d.). Welcome to Vastu Living..http://www.vastuliving.com/vastu.php
No comments:
Post a Comment